Ducks touch down, hit the ice

Not sure if the eagle has landed, but the Ducks definitely have, touching down in Helsinki at 9:09 a.m. Sunday.

That's 9:09 a.m. Helsinki time, or 11:09 p.m. Saturday back home.

The team departed the airport and headed straight to Hartwall Areena for a brief but largely spirited workout.

So now the Ducks are 5,600 miles away, having flown roughly 14 hours to start a season during which they'll go on 16 more road trips.

Beginning a pro sports season overseas always has seemed to be an odd venture, given the thousands of miles these players log as it is.

But the time spent together on a journey like this one can have some benefits.

“I really believe it's going to be good for our team,” TeemuSelanne said. “I think it'll good for us to start the season hanging around together for those four or five days before the first game (Friday against Buffalo). We can get that ‘team feeling' again. I think that's going to be a very important healing process for us.”

That's assuming, of course, that everyone gets along. Seeing how the Ducks haven't lost a game yet, the guess here is these guys will be fine.

So perhaps exchanging a little rest for a little brotherhood could pay off later in the season.

“It's certainly a bonding time for us,” BobbyRyan said. “Any time you get a chance to get out on the road you bond, you spend more time together than you normally would. That usually is a good thing, team-wise.”

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